Graduate Student Annual Reporting Requirements

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All PhD students in the MSU College of Engineering are required to submit an annual report each year. As part of this report, students will report their progress during the previous year, review their academic and professional goals, and communicate with their adviser(s) about their plans and progress toward degree completion. PhD students who do not complete the annual reporting process will have a hold placed on their accounts.

In addition, MS students majoring in Computer Science are required to submit an annual report each year. The annual reporting system is available to all MS students, who are encouraged to submit reports each year even if their department does not currently require it.

Deadlines

January 31: students must complete their part of the annual report using the online GRS system and must click to notify their adviser that it's ready for review

February: advisers provide written feedback using online GRS system; students and advisers meet to review and sign the report

March 1: students must verify report completion using online GRS system

Failure to meet the March 1 deadline for completing and verifying the annual report will result in a hold being placed on students' accounts.

Submission Instructions

Detailed instructions for completing the annual report are available by CLICKING HERE. Successful completion involves the following steps:

Students enter their information in the online report

Students click the "Email Primary Adviser about Report Completion" button to notify their adviser to review the report

Primary advisers reviews the report and adds their feedback

Students log into the GRS system and "Verify 2017 Report"

ECE STUDENTS ONLY must also complete the following steps:

Print a hardcopy of the full report

Meet in person with your primary adviser AND each committee member to discuss the report (these meetings can be individually or as a group)

Student, adviser and committee members each sign the final page.

Turn in the signed hardcopy to the ECE departmental graduate secretary

Handouts of the PowerPoint presentation about the GRS system and annual report requirements are available by CLICKING HERE.

Graduate Reporting System (GRS)

All annual reports must be completed online using the Graduate Reporting System (GRS). CLICK HERE to access the GRS and submit your annual report.

If you have technical questions or are unable to log into the GRS system, please email grs-help@egr.msu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I received an email saying that my annual report is not complete, but I submitted it online; what should I do?A: Carefully review the submission instructions and ensure that you have completed all of the required steps (student submission, advisor review, student verification); note that the "verification" step is commonly missed.

Q: The RTTS system is not reporting all of my RCR training in the 2016-17 report; what should I do?A: You may combine RTTS reports from multiple reporting years into one PDF file and include that with your annual report.

Q: I'm currently a master's student; do I have to submit an annual report?A: Yes - all graduate students must submit annual reports using GRS.

Q: I'm a first year (or first semester) graduate student; do I have to submit an annual report?A: Yes, all graduate students are required to submit annual reports. It is expected that new students will have shorter reports than students who are farther along in their degree programs.

Q: I don't have a program plan yet; what should I do?A: You can upload a draft of your program plan, if one is available. Or, you can upload a PDF document that says that your program plan has not yet been developed.

Q: I don't have anything to enter in part of the report (e.g,. no committee members; publications; awards; etc.). What should I do?A: Submit the information that you do have, and leave the rest blank.

Q: Do I have to get signatures from all of my committee members?A: The ECE department requires their students to meet with each committee member and get his/her signature, in addition to the adviser's signature. In other departments, committee members' signatures are not required - but you may wish to share your annual report with your committee members as a communications tool.

Q: What happens to the information in the report once I submit it?A: Your adviser, committe and/or department will review the report, provide feedback, and ultimately add a copy to your student record. The College will look at the information in aggregate (e.g., the total number of journal articles co-authored by PhD students each year).

Q: What if I disagree with the feedback I receive from my adviser?A: Ideally, you will discuss the feedback with your adviser when you meet to review the report. If you are not able to resolve your concerns with your adviser, you should talk to the graduate program director in your department. If you still have concerns, you can discuss them with your department chairperson. You may also contact Dr. Katy Colbry for advice if you have concerns about the annual report and feedback process.

Q: What do I do if I have two advisors? A: Select one to be the primary advisor for the annual report.